Football: Vandrevius Jacobs' big plays lead Vero Beach past Miami Palmetto

Vero Beach High School's Vandrevius Jacobs  escapes the grip of a South Fork defender as the Vero Beach High School Fighting Indians take on the South Fork Bulldogs on Friday, Aug. 26, 2022, at Billy Livings Field at the Citrus Bow in Vero Beach. Vero Beach won 54-6.
Vero Beach High School's Vandrevius Jacobs escapes the grip of a South Fork defender as the Vero Beach High School Fighting Indians take on the South Fork Bulldogs on Friday, Aug. 26, 2022, at Billy Livings Field at the Citrus Bow in Vero Beach. Vero Beach won 54-6.

SEBASTIAN —Vero Beach senior wide receiver Vandrevius Jacobs hauled in two touchdown passes Friday, but he was most excited about the play in the end zone when he didn’t catch the ball.

Jacobs, a Florida State commit, not only scored the game-winning touchdown in Vero Beach’s 21-17 win over Miami Palmetto but he also broke up a pass in the end zone with less the six minutes remaining to effectively seal the win.

“The PBU was an important play,” Jacobs said. “I feel like it was one of the most important plays of the game, stopping them. If they score, they’re up. So, I feel like the PBU was a little more exciting for me, a little better.”

Vero Beach improved to 5-0 while Palmetto fell to 1-4.

Jacobs made key plays throughout the night, serving as Vero Beach quarterback Tyler Aronson’s primary target and also playing an important role in helping Vero Beach limit Palmetto’s explosive receiver Robby Washington.

“He’s just a great player,” Vero Beach coach Lenny Jankowski said of Jacobs. “He’s just a talented kid. I’ve been telling you guys, he just plays so hard with or without the ball in his hands. He’s a very unselfish player and can do just about anything and competes at such a high level. He’s one of those guys when it’s on the line, he wants to be a part of it and he thinks he can do it. That competitive edge on top of his God-given ability and athleticism is a pretty good combination.”

The 6-foot-1, 170-pound Jacobs now has caught 10 touchdown passes in five games this season, matching the number of times he scored in nine games last fall.

He’s said he’s building a strong connection with Aronson, a SMU commit, who arrived at Vero Beach in the summer.

“Tyler’s a great quarterback,” Jacobs said. “I feel like I trust him to make any throw, he trusts me to make any catch. We just have that connection. Each and every week, our chemistry is getting a little better.”

Quick slants

Robby Washington (Miami commit) caught the Panthers first touchdown on their opening drive. Twin brother Bobby Washington (Miami commit) had a sack in the third quarter.

Aronson threw two touchdown passes and also rushed for multiple first downs against Palmetto. On the game-winning score, Aronson did a nice job of looking off the safety before throwing a well-thrown ball to Jacobs in the corner of the end zone.

Palmetto junior athlete Jacory Barney caught a touchdown pass in the third quarter. Barney had a couple drops in the first half but had key catches in the second half. Barney’s offers include Georgia Tech, Maryland, Michigan, Nebraska and Tennessee.

Palmetto junior edge rusher Willis McGahee IV, son of former NFL running back Willis McGahee, was dominant in the third quarter with several quarterback pressures and hits. He also had a tackle for loss and forced an errant throw that almost was intercepted. McGahee has been offered by Auburn, Louisville, Michigan and others.

Vero Beach freshman athlete Efrem White scored on a two-yard run out of the wildcat formation in the first quarter. Vero Beach coaches have been raving about the 6-foot-3, 150-pound White – who has the rare distinction of starting as a freshman at the school and plays on both sides of the ball as well as special teams.

Palmetto senior receiver Derrick Bohler had key first down catches throughout the game. The 6-foot-1, 195-pounder has more than 25 offers and said he plans to narrow down his list in the coming weeks.

Vero Beach sophomore wide receiver Justin Woulard has impressed early this season. Woulard, the younger brother of former Vero Beah standout and UCF walk-on Keith Woulard, is dangerous with the ball in his hands.

Nebraska defensive backs coach Travis Fisher was at the game Friday. Palmetto senior defensive back Dwight Bootle II is committed to Nebraska.

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Football: Vandrevius Jacobs' big plays lead Vero Beach past Palmetto